Registration is now open for the MRPC 2020 Semi-Annual Meeting, which will be held April 21-23 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Register online here. A printable registration form can be found here.

Early-bird pricing for delegates and spouses/guests runs through March 31. Register now to take advantage of this special pricing.

The meeting will offer a chance to explore some of the area’s great attractions, including Houmas House, the new Great River Road Interpretive Center and historic downtown Baton Rouge. See the draft agenda here.

Hotel Reservations are available in the neighboring city of Port Allen at TownPlace Suites ($89/night, (225) 387-5100) or La Quinta Port Allen ($87/night, (225) 960-7787). Be sure to mention Mississippi River Parkway Commission when making your reservation.

Visit the Forms & Resources page to find the updated toolkit for Drive the Great River Road Month, which will be celebrated all September long. (Scroll down to see links to download the materials, which are in Word and PDF formats.)

You’ll find sample social media posts, templates for press releases you can send to local news outlets and more. Thank you for helping us spread the word about Drive the Great River Road Month!

REMINDER WE HAVE A FEW UPCOMING DEADLINES:

Annual nomination and state report deadlines are approaching. Deadlines for the Distinguished Service Award, Honorary Membership and Interpretive Center nominations are all due September 1. State Annual Reports are also due September 1. Nomination forms can be found here (scroll down to see forms).

Registration for the MRPC 2019 Annual Meeting is now open!

You can register online at mrpcmembers.com/meeting or download the printable registration form here. Reminder, early bird pricing will end August 30, so register now! Click here to view the agenda.

And don’t forget to book your hotel stay with Radisson Hotel in La Crosse, WI at a special rate of $129 (standard room, two queen beds). The cutoff is August 17. Call (608) 784-6680 and ask for the Mississippi River Parkway Commission block.

We’ve created a new form to submit updates to the Agri-tourism assets along the GRR. Through this form, you’ll be able to update existing businesses or add new business to the site.

We will use the information as part of the spring Flavors campaign to highlight regional agri-tourism options.

Click here to submit an update or new business.

Thank you all for attending the MRPC meetings. If you took any photos during the meeting, please share them with the MRPC National Office by uploading them to our MRPC dropbox folder. Just click on the link below then drag and drop any photo files you’d like to share.

MRPC Meeting Photos Link

Thank you!

Earlier this month, the New York Times published a fantastic piece about traveling the Great River Road.

Writer Peter Kujawinski’s article, “Along the Mississippi,” tells the story of his family’s road trip along the Great River Road from Illinois to Mississippi. He shares stories about visiting several interpretive centers along the route and even highlights the MRPC’s 10-state Great River Road map as a great resource.

To read the full story, click here.

MRPC and MRC are often promoting travel along and around the Mississippi river. Want to learn the main distinction between the two? Click here to download the MRPC-MRC fact sheet to learn more. You can also find it on the Resource page.